We did it! We completed part 1 of our last wall. Of course the last one would be in 3 sections, but technically all one wall. So, as excited as we are about completing this large section, we do have 2 more sections of the wall to complete. Unfortunately, it will likely be in the early fall that we finish it as we are completely exhausted with working on the rock walls and need a mental break from them.

We put the final rocks into the wall on June 23, but I needed some time to not think about walls before I could write this. This section of the final wall went great, despite some of the challenges, such as the rocks we use being discontinued. We like how it turned out and the path between this wall and the large lower garden bed is really solid already. It is also a decent width, something we were worried about when we were digging the level back into the cedar roots.

The LaFarge Limestone rocks that we ended up getting in replacement of the previously used Autumn Blend, turned out great. We have show the pictures to a few people and most don’t notice the difference, or even realize that there are 2 different types of rocks in this wall. We can see it quite obviously, but that is because we know where we made the switch. Can you see the change in the very top wall?

I would still like to get the tops wired up but wanted to let it sit for a week or so to see if it shifted or anything and would require any topping up. So far it looks like everything is good to go, so one cooler evening, I will get out there and wire the tops. Already I am worried about the excess landscaping material that we didn’t cut off the back. We left it to help save our arms, ribs and bellies as we reached over to do wire ties, but now it is likely a haven for spiders. The last time we left excess landscaping fabric on the back of one of the walls, the black widows moved in, making it a heevy-jeevy process of cutting it off. I will make sure I am wearing nice thick gardening gloves, and flip the excess over so that I can see the backside before I start cutting. Get anything out of the way that I need to.

So what are the next sections of this wall you ask? There are 2. Let’s start with the small kicker extension that will create a fun triangular shaped bed at the very top of these walls, just before the cedars. You can see in the photos that there is a taller post, along with the rocks coming to a bit of a peak before levelling off toward the middle of the yard. That is where the kicker wall will start and it will continue on towards the fence. It will be about 2′-2.5′ away from the base of the cedars, but be taller than the current landscaping ties, which have been mostly buried by the crushed rock. We want it to be a little bit more level at the base so we don’t lose as much water off the roots. It will be a bit of an odd bed when finished, because it will be triangular, but I am sure we will find something to go in it. We always do!

Part 3 of the wall, is going from where we ended toward the centre of the yard, and continuing the fence up the hill so that the cedars have full edging. This shorter wall will meet up with the arch we have, and eventually a set of stairs will come down there. It will likely get shorter and shorter as it approaches the top of the yard. We will also need to cut in a drainage hole, where our garage drain comes out. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem to work around that.

Once those 2 sections are done, then we will truly be done the final wall. It will happen this fall for sure because Kurt and I really do not want to think about rock walls anymore. Instead of building them, we want to start enjoying them.

Overall, everything is coming along nicely, and we will add finishing touches to it all before the winter so that those beds can be utilized in the spring. In fact, we may transplant the rhubarb into the bottom bed in the early fall, so it could be sooner than later that we start adding life into those new garden beds.